And people go on with their lives, not knowing the potential for trouble could be just around the corner.

Which brings us to the Mavericks. Coach Rick Carlisle deals with issues on a daily basis and some are under the surface that nobody ever realizes.

This is not one of those situations. This situation involves playing time and is in plain view as the Mavericks enter a critical juncture with three games left before the All-Star break.

They are getting a new player in gear as Peja Stojakovic slowly regains form. And they will soon welcome back Roddy Beaubois, who hasn't played a game this season. He joined the team Friday in Houston but won't play Saturday against the Rockets. Beaubois making his season debut at home against Sacramento on Wednesday is a possibility.

These events put the Mavericks in a state of flux regarding a rotation that has featured a remarkable run of play by the reserves — capped by the NBA-season-high 72 points the reserves had in the streak-busting loss at Denver late Thursday night.

J.J. Barea has been great, averaging 15.7 points and nearly four assists over the last six games. Jason Terry has scored 21 points or more in four consecutive games and has regained his aggressiveness as well as his shooting eye.

Shawn Marion is playing his best basketball of the season, and Brendan Haywood and Ian Mahinmi have played better, not to mention Brian Cardinal's hard-nosed contributions.

So the question becomes: What will happen with playing time when Stojakovic starts getting more minutes and when room has to be made for Beaubois?

That's Carlisle's challenge. But there's already one strong voice in the locker room that is confident there won't be any issues.

"I'd rather have too many players than too few," Dirk Nowitzki said. "Ultimately, if you want to be a good team, when your role diminishes a little bit, you got to stay ready. At some point, you know your number is going to be called.

"On a winning team, you can't have any egos if you ultimately want to win it all."

Despite the heartbreaking 121-120 loss at Denver that stopped their 10-game winning streak, the Mavericks feel their stock is rising as much as any team in the league. There's no shame in losing at Denver, although it's humbling when you factor in the 11-1 Nuggets run that the Mavericks gave up in the final 2:10.

Blowing a nine-point lead against any team in the final few possessions is the NBA equivalent of a felony, not a misdemeanor.

But as Carlisle likes to say, the situation is never as good or bad as it might seem.

"When you're going bad, you're never as far from going good as you might think," he said. "And when you win 10 in a row, it's just as fragile."

That's the way it can be with the playing rotation. It's a constant set of adjustments, and when Beaubois comes back, somebody's going to sit. It can't be Stojakovic because he's being counted on to be the starter at small forward.

It's a role his teammates have no doubts that he can fill.

"He'll make those open shots," Nowitzki said. "He'll make a fair amount of 3s. He's going to be all right in the long run. But he's only played [a few] games for the season. I was out only three weeks, and it took me five games to get my legs back. So he's been out almost the whole year.

"And Roddy's coming back. He looked real good in practice last week. So the sky's the limit for this team if we keep on working."

Jones has surgery: Dominique Jones had surgery on his right foot Friday and will be sidelined indefinitely.

The Mavericks announced that the rookie guard had a procedure done by team physician Dr. T.O. Souryal to address a stress fracture to the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. No timetable was set for his return, but the normal recovery period for such a surgery likely means he’ll be out for the rest of the season.

Jones was the 25 overall pick in the 2010 draft, acquired by the Mavericks for cash from the Memphis Grizzlies. He played in 18 games and averaged 2.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 7.5 minutes per game.

Jones began to feel pain in his foot last week and the stress fracture was found when he was examined.

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